Download Item:

Abstract:

As the legislative body of the European Union (EU), the European
Parliament (EP) comprises 732 elected representatives from over 150
national political parties from 25 member states. At the EP level, these
members are af?liated with seven major party groups representing
distinct policy positions. Here we provide precise estimates of these
policy positions based on expert surveys, in addition to characterizing
the dimensionality of policy competition in the EP. Our results suggest
not only that party groups have identi?able and differentiated positions
on multiple issues of policy, but also that these positions group broadly
into two orthogonal dimensions: one consisting of classic left?right
social and economic issues, and the other related to the powers and
scope of EU institutions.